Ban Wi-Fi in classroom, Ontario teachers union urges

An Ontario teachers’ union is calling for an end to new Wi-Fi setups in the province’s 1,400-plus Catholic schools.

The Ontario English Catholic Teacher’s Association says computers in all new schools should be hardwired instead of setting up wireless networks.

It also says Wi-Fi should not be installed in any more classrooms.

In a position paper released on Monday, the union — which represents 45,000 teachers — cites research by the World Health Organization.

Last year the global health agency warned about a possible link between radiation from wireless devices such as cellphones and cancer.

Some believe wireless access to the Internet could pose similar risks.

But while Health Canada cautioned parents to limit the use of cellphones by children, it said that based on scientific evidence, low-level exposure to Wi-Fi is not dangerous.

The OECTA, in its paper, said the “safety of this technology has not thoroughly been researched and therefore the precautionary principle and prudent avoidance of exposure should be practised.”

The Ontario government has said it would examine the WHO warning but wouldn’t take any immediate action to require warnings on wireless devices. The province said it’s up to school boards in the province to make decisions about whether to use Wi-Fi or not.

Some Canadian private schools and at least one public school board in British Columbia have removed or strictly limited Wi-Fi due to safety concerns. But many other public school boards across Canada continue to use it.

WIFI in Schools and health effects of microwave radiation

Trent University professor Dr. Magda Havas and Dr. Fred Gilbert from Lakehead University explain why wireless technologies known as WiFi should not be used in schools because of the known health effects from microwave radiation. Testimonials are also provided by the students of Mountain View School who feel that their ill health could be directly related to microwave radiation emitted by the wireless internet transmission towers that have been installed inside the school

WIFI in Schools Causes Cancer

British military expert, Barrie Trower, tells us why wireless computers, cell phones, cordless phones and other microwave radiation devices are NOT safe for children and need to be BANNED FROM SCHOOLS. Share with everyone you know.

Ontario school bans Wi-Fi

A school in southern Ontario is the first in Canada to ban Wi-Fi over health concerns, despite Health Canada’s assurances it’s perfectly safe.

Parents at St. Vincent Euphrasia elementary school in Meaford, Ont., voted to ban Wi-Fi transmitters, after some students reported feeling ill after they were installed.

“After learning the whole story about how risky WiFi is, parents voted to protect their children’s health and plug the computers back in with hardwires,” said Andrew Couper, a member of the elected school council. “This is something every school council across Canada should be questioning.”

Health Canada, however, insists Wi-Fi is not dangerous and notes there is no evidence to suggest otherwise. Wi-Fi in Canada remains far below government-mandates levels, which stem from thousands of peer-reviewed journals.

“Wi-Fi is the second most prevalent form of wireless technology next to cell phones. It is widely used across Canada in schools, offices, coffee shops, personal dwellings, as well as countless other locations. Health Canada continues to reassure Canadians that the radiofrequency energy emitted from Wi-Fi equipment is extremely low and is not associated with any health problems,” Health Canada said in a statement.

Parents concerned over Wi-Fi health risks

Hundreds of parents across the country are speaking out against what they fear may be an invisible threat to their childrens’ well being: Wi-Fi in schools.

RELATED 16:9 The Bigger Picture website

McKenzy Honing, 16, says school makes him feel sick. The Grade 11 British Columbia high school student came home complaining of headaches and heart palpitations. “It felt like my heart was skipping beats,” he said. But on the weekends? “I’d start to get better. And by Sunday I’d start to feel normal.”

Just a typical kid trying to get out of class? Maybe. But McKenzy’s mom, Lynda Honing, doesn’t think so. She thinks her son’s health is at risk. And she’s just one of hundreds of concerned parents across the country speaking out against what they fear may be an invisible threat to their childrens’ well being: Wi-Fi in schools.

Global News’ current affairs program, 16:9 The Bigger Picture, wanted to find out just how much radiation laptops and routers in schools could be emitting. So 16:9 asked Kavinder Dhillon, president of LabTest Certification Inc., to test radiation levels in a simulated typical, active wireless classroom. The result? A reading of 113.8 microwatts – well below Health Canada’s recommended threshold of 10 million microwatts.

Just outside the classroom in the hallway, the radiation reading near the router hit 2600 microwatts. That’s 20 times higher than inside the classroom. While it was still low by Health Canada standards, Dhillon expressed some discomfort. “The people who are in the industry, who are testing this,” he told 16:9, “they feel this is a high level. This is very high.”

16:9 investigated further with another test to see how a person might react in proximity to radiation levels Health Canada considers safe. Professor Magda Havas, a Trent University environmental scientist, used a wireless computer and a router on an adult male subject who calls himself “electrically sensitive.” In a blind test, Prof. Havas exposed him to microwave radiation at levels similar to those in an average wireless classroom. She found the closer the router, the faster the subject’s heart rate. Although the levels she used in the test were under Health Canada’s limit, Prof. Havas has a theory that may explain her findings. “Some percentage of the population is reacting to this microwave radiation,” she said.

But could trading chalkboards for laptops make kids sick? 16:9 asked the Wi-Fi Alliance to comment on wireless products’ possible health effects. The Alliance responded with a written statement. “Wi-Fi technology meets all national and international safety requirements,” it said, “and emits signals that are typically hundreds to thousands of times below the safety limits.”

Health Canada says parents shouldn’t worry. In fact, Beth Pieterson, a Health Canada representative told 16:9 the amount of radiation children experience in a typical wireless classroom is in no way responsible for the headaches, nausea and hyperactivity some kids say they experience. “There’s no scientific evidence,” said Pieterson, “that those kinds of effects are caused by the energy limits the kids are exposed to by Wi-Fi.”

But Dr. David Carpenter from Albany, New York, a world-renowned expert in environmental toxins, told 16:9 he disagrees with Health Canada’s analysis. “The weight of the evidence demonstrates clearly that exposure to RF radiation causes disease,” he said, adding, “the evidence is strongest for cancer.”

While Canada races to go wireless, in other parts of the world, Wi-Fi has worn out its welcome. Herouville-St.Clair, France is the first municipality in the world to remove W-Fi from schools and public buildings. Mayor Rudolphe Thomas told 16:9 he’s not willing to gamble with childrens’ health. In other European countries, wireless technology is still prevalent, but it’s increasingly treated with caution. In Germany, Wi-Fi is still in use but the government recommended children limit their exposure. And in Britain, some public schools independently decided to remove it altogether.

Here, the current precautions are few and the Wi-Fi hotspots are plenty. Parents like Honing are concerned we’re sacrificing our kids’ health for convenience. She says she doesn’t want to wait. She doesn’t want her son to be an experiment. Dr. Carpenter shares her concern. He told 16:9 it’s time for Canada to stop turning a blind eye to Wi-Fi’s possible risks. “You don’t want to wait until you can count the bodies before you tell the public that there is a serious potential of harm,” he said. “And with regard to the issue of Wi-Fi in schools, this is exactly where we are.” CW Media Inc.

despite research from the Health Protection Agency that claims school systems are safe.

Scientists set up 15 laptop computers commonly used in UK schools and investigated the strength of the radiowaves around them. The findings, presented today at HPA’s annual conference at the University of Warwick, concluded that exposures to radio waves from Wi-Fi equipment were well within internationally-accepted exposure guidelines.

But Philip Parkin, general secretary of education professionals union Voice said: “Just because a few laptops have been tested and found to have no immediate effects, doesn’t mean there might not be long-term effects on developing children.”

Voice is calling for a ban on the installation of new wi-fi systems in schools, for existing systems to be turned off when not required and that schools should consider whether they really need to use wi-fi.

Parkin added: “It is a considerable concern that in schools we are installing wi-fi systems and we have no clear evidence that they are safe. My concern is that until they are declared to be safe and proven to be safe we should not be installing them in schools. The difficulty is that once installed in schools, they are switched on constantly. Whether the children are using them or not, they are exposed to that level of radiation.”

The union is also calling for nurseries to ban mobile phones to protect children and staff from illicit photography.

Wi-Fi In Schools To Be Debated By Alberta Parents

Concerned with the effects Wi-Fi in schools may have on their children’s health, some Alberta parents are fighting to have better wireless management protocols in place.

Edmonton parent and public teacher Marcey Kliparchuk says she started to investigate the dangers of Wi-Fi four years ago, when a cell phone tower was going up next to her school.

“I quickly learned that many many medical organizations have put out warning and cautions about this issue,” she told CBC News.

At Kliparchuk’s urging, Edmonton Catholic Schools are now looking into any potential hazards Wi-Fi — which is carried by electromagnetic radio frequency signals — may pose in classrooms.

ECS trustee Marilyn Bergstra told Metro News the district will be looking for recommendations from administration.

“Although research data in this area remains somewhat inconclusive, it’s my belief that we have a duty to act within an abundance of caution when it comes to the responsible use of technology in our schools as it relates, in particular, to the health of students and staff,” said Bergstra.

Next month, parents across the province will have the chance to debate a resolution that could see control measures, such a installing switches that can turn off Wi-Fi in a classroom, or offering Wi-Fi-free schools.

If the bill passes, school boards and the government will be lobbied for change.

Some people are concerned that exposure to low-frequency magnetic fields can cause health problems like cancer, autism and leukemia in children. Others argue that some people have a heightened sensitivity to electromagnetic frequencies.

However, Tim Singer, director general of Health Canada’s environmental and radiation health sciences directorate, told the Edmonton Journal that ““Wi-Fi equipment, including what is used in schools, emits radio frequency energy at very low levels and the scientific evidence tells us that it is not dangerous to anyone, including children.”

Wi-Fi alert: School officials may be personally liable for exposing children to wireless radiation

(NaturalHealth365) School districts, school boards and school medical health officers in Canada have been notified that Lloyd’s of London has now excluded any liability coverage for injuries, “directly or indirectly arising out of, resulting from or contributed to by electromagnetic fields, electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetism, radio waves or noise.” This includes the radio frequency radiation emitting from Wi-Fi and other wireless devices in schools.

On February 18, 2015, the UK agent for Lloyd’s stated, “the Electromagnetic Fields Exclusion (Exclusion 32) is a General Insurance Exclusion and is applied across the market as standard. The purpose of the exclusion is to exclude cover for illnesses caused by continuous long-term non-ionizing radiation exposure i.e. through mobile phone usage.”

Guidelines for Safer Use of Wireless Technology in Classrooms Published

Teachers are Urged to Avoid Prolonged Contact and Turn Off Wireless Functions When Possible

An environmental health non-profit organization has issued a set of science-based guidelines for school teachers and administrators who are using wireless technologies in school classrooms. Based on peer-reviewed studies that link wireless radiation with neurological symptoms, the Guidelines urge teachers to limit exposures in classrooms to wireless radiation from routers, tablets and laptops. The Guidelines were delivered to a meeting of the Health and Safety Conference of the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. on March 14th.

“There’s a rush to make every classroom in America a wireless classroom, on the presumption that wireless radiation is completely safe,” says Patricia Wood, Executive Director of Grassroots Environmental Education, which created the Guidelines based on input from researchers, medical professionals and radiation experts. “But the weight of scientific evidence pointing to potential health impacts, not only for students, but for teachers, especially pregnant teachers, should compel us to take a precautionary approach. It’s just common sense.”

Recent studies at Yale University and other institutions around the world have demonstrated significant biological effects from exposure to wireless radiation. In one recent study, pregnant mice exposed to radiation from a cell phone had offspring that exhibited symptoms similar to ADHD in children. Many other studies have also reported behavioral abnormalities resulting from exposure to wireless radiation.

“A growing body of science is indicating links between exposure to wireless radiation and health impacts including neurological deficits and neurobehavioral disorders,” says Joel Moskowitz, Director and Principal Investigator of the Center for Family and Community Health at the University of California, Berkeley. “These guidelines will help reduce microwave radiation exposure among students and teachers. I recommend every teacher in the nation pay attention to them.”

“We have enough evidence to justify taking action and we are not willing to wait until our members, their children and the students suffer health consequences from not doing anything,” says Paul Pecorale, Vice President of NYSUT. ”The history of occupational disease shows the devastating consequences of doing just that. We think that following these simple, common-sense Guidelines makes sense for schools districts, their staff and students.”

Grassroots Environmental Education is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization based in New York with a mission to inform the public about the links between common environmental exposures and human health, and the seeks to empower individuals to act as catalysts for change within their own communities. More information is available on the organization’s web site,www.GrassrootsInfo.org.

Oregon’s Bill to Disclose Wireless Technology Health Risks

April 2, 2015

Oregon State Representative Alissa Kenyguyer has proposed House Bill 3350 which directs the Oregon Department of Education to prepare a statement that would disclose the potential health risks of wireless technology.

The bill requires public and private schools to distribute the statement annually to school employees and to parents of students. The bill declares an emergency stating that such an act is necessary for the immediate preservation of public peace, health and safety.The bill was introduced on February 27, 2015 and was referred to the Health Care Committee on March 6.

United Federation of Teachers – Wireless radiation

Wireless radiation is emitted by the myriad of wireless devices we encounter every day. It was once thought to be relatively harmless. However, we now know that wireless radiation can cause non-thermal biological effects as well, including damage to cells and DNA, even at low levels.

Teachers call for Wi-Fi ban

Wire­less In­ter­net sig­nals are of­ten no stronger than those from a baby mon­i­tor, but that hasn’t halted de­bate over ban­ning Wi- Fi from class­rooms.

Two teach­ers union lo­cals in Kingston, Ont., want their school to switch off wire­less In­ter­net con­nec­tions. They are con­cerned the sig­nals pose a sig­nif­i­cant health risk, al­though pub­lic health units across the coun­try say Wi-Fi is safe, even for young chil­dren.

That hasn’t pre­vented school boards and some teach­ers unions, in­clud­ing the Cana­dian Teach­ers Fed­er­a­tion, from call­ing for a mora­to­rium on its use in schools, if not an out­right ban.

“We’re con­cerned be­cause Wi- Fi and mi­crowave com­mu­ni­ca­tions have not been de­ter­mined to be safe and we’ve never re­ceived any train­ing about the haz­ards, such as all the warn­ings that come with your cell­phones or wire­less devices,” said An­drea Lo­ken, pres­i­dent of the Lime­stone district branch of the On­tario Sec­ondary School Teach­ers’ Fed­er­a­tion.

“We’ve never been asked if we’re OK with be­ing sub­jected to Wi-Fi all day ev­ery day while we’re at work. No one has given con­sent and no one has been in­formed of the risks.”

The branch has been joined by the lo­cal branch of the El­e­men­tary Teach­ers’ Fed­er­a­tion of On­tario (ETFO) in ask­ing their school board to re­view Wi- Fi use, some­thing that was al­ready un­der­way. The board ex­pects to ta­ble a re­port this month.

The ETFO, which rep­re­sents all On­tario el­e­men­tary teach­ers, is also ques­tion­ing Wi-Fi’s safety.

There have been sim­i­lar de­bates in Peel, one of Canada’s largest school boards cov­er­ing a swath of sub­urbs west of Toronto, and at the Ed­mon­ton Catholic School Board.

The con­cerns stem from the be­lief the ra­dio-fre­quency elec­tro­mag­netic en­ergy that car­ries Wi-Fi to elec­tronic devices is detri­men­tal to hu­man health, es­pe­cially when it is pow­er­ful enough to cover an en­tire school or sys­tem. It is a low form of ra­di­a­tion, about the same as what comes off a TV or mi­crowave.

Lo­ken said her ex­ec­u­tive has done its own re­search and is con­vinced Health Canada is fail­ing to rec­og­nize the dan­ger of Wi-Fi. She says “it’s sim­ply not true” Wi-Fi is the same strength as a ra­dio broad­cast tower. ( Most WiFi runs be­tween 2.4 and 5 gi­ga­hertz; 2.4 gi­ga­hertz is so com­mon it’s usu­ally the fre­quency for baby mon­i­tors and garage door open­ers).

“The prob­lem with Wi- Fi in schools is that it’s on all the time. We’re not al­lowed to turn it off,” Lo­ken said.

But Health Canada — like the World Health Or­ga­ni­za­tion and Pub­lic Health On­tario — states “cur­rent sci­en­tific ev­i­dence sup­ports the as­ser­tion that (ra­dio-fre­quency) en­ergy emis­sions from Wi-Fi devices are not harm­ful.”

Based on a re­cent re­view of the sci­en­tific lit­er­a­ture, the World Health Or­ga­ni­za­tion con­cluded ev­i­dence does not con­firm the ex­is­tence of health con­se­quences from ex­po­sure to low-level elec­tro­mag­netic fields.